The Joy of Rectification
by 93 Diagon Alley
Summary: Hermione risks everything to try and change the tragic fate of the one she loves in the final battle. ONE-SHOT.


_**Happy birthday Fred and George!** They would be 34 today...which is my lucky number! If you add the fact that this story is my tenth (!) uploaded on this site, it makes for pretty much the perfect day to post this._

_Hope you guys enjoy this, I'm pretty fond of it! _

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><p><strong>The Joy of Rectification<strong>  
>by: 93 Diagon Alley<p>

It was the middle of the night, and the middle of the Second Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort had just declared an hour-long cease-fire, to allow them to collect their dead and tend to their wounded in a more dignified manner; though in all reality, his actual intention with the cease-fire was for Harry Potter to turn himself in to his nemesis. Speaking of Harry, Hermione hadn't seen him in awhile...nor Ron, come to think of it.

Someone gasped beside her and grabbed her arm. "'Ermynee!" Hermione turned quickly toward the source of the hand holding onto her, and found Fleur paused beside her, Bill a few steps ahead. Fleur motioned with her head towards the house tables in the Great Hall, and Hermione was suddenly struck with fear as she noticed a sea of red hair huddled around the end of what had once been the Gryffindor table.

She grasped Fleur's hand instinctively and the two made their way over to the Weasleys. "Who?" Hermione asked, barely louder than a whisper.

"I do not know," the older girl replied.

When they reached the family, Hermione walked up behind Ron, who was at the outside of the huddle, and pulled him into a hug. "Ron!"

"Hermione! Oh thank Merlin!" he cried, before he burst out in tears in her arms.

Once he had calmed a bit, she gave him a questioning look, asking who the fallen Weasley was. He just shook his head sadly and removed his arms from around her, indicating that she should go see for herself.

As she got closer to the center of the huddle, her heart stopped upon realizing that there were two very obviously identical faces missing from the mass of Weasleys. "No..." she whispered, pushing forward a bit closer to set her eyes upon the lost member. The first thing she saw was a missing ear on the man crouched over the body. "No...no no no..." she started chanting, getting louder with each repetition. Finally reaching the table, she fell to her knees on the bench beside the weeping man and threw her arms around him.

He stiffened at the contact, as if preparing to push her away, but froze when he recognized her voice. "George..." she moaned quietly, "tell me this isn't real. It can't be real!"

He turned quickly in her hold and buried his face in her chest, crying so hard that she immediately felt the wetness of his tears through her shirt. He shook his head back and forth, trying to convey how much he wanted to reassure her that she wasn't actually seeing Fred's lifeless body in front of her, but couldn't.

As it started to sink in, the tears began to flow down her face and she closed her eyes, tucked George's head under her chin and just rocked him back and forth, whispering inconsequential murmurs in an attempt to soothe not only him, but herself as well. The rest of the family must have realized that George needed Hermione specifically, because she was the first person he allowed to touch him more than just a pat on the shoulder or a stroke of his hair. They allowed the two their time to hold onto each other, and turned to attempt to comfort each other instead.

Hermione had no idea how much time passed, nor did she care, when George finally pulled away a bit. "Hermione," he croaked, and his entire family whipped their heads around to look at him; it was the first word he'd spoken since he'd seen his twin lying in the Great Hall. She looked at him questioningly. "If...if F-F-Fred had asked you to m-marry him, would- would you have said yes?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

An expression of shock crossed her features before she smiled sadly at him. "There's nothing in the world that could have made me say no," she replied softly.

He nodded, and reached over into his dead brother's pocket. Pulling out a small, velvety black box, he handed it to her before speaking. "Then I think this belongs to you."

Her fingers trembled as she pried the box open, and gasped when she saw the contents. She immediately started bawling harder than she had all day, and sunk onto the bench, falling into George's embrace as she placed the box gently on the table beside her lost love. "He was going to ask you after the battle," he said sadly, regret lacing his words as he wrapped his arms around her even tighter than before.

Molly couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer, and leaned over them to see the contents of the box. Upon seeing the glint of the diamond ring, she collapsed on the floor sobbing. "Molly!" Arthur shouted, dropping down beside his wife in an attempt to soothe her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and mumbled into his chest, just loud enough that he could hear, and her volume increased as she realized the words she was speaking. "It's a ring, Arthur," she wailed. "He was going to ask her to marry him! My baby!" As he began to put the pieces together, he pulled Molly onto his lap for the first time in many years and just sat there on the floor, his face buried in her hair, rubbing her back as they both cried for the son they lost, and the daughter they would now never gain.

An idea suddenly popped into Hermione's head, and she jerked away from George. "I can save him..." she whispered, in awe of the connections her brain continued to make, even in this time of grief.

"Hermione?" George questioned, not understanding what she meant. "Magic has limits, love; there's no spell to erase this."

"No, not a spell," she murmured, shaking her head. "It's not exactly foolproof, or legal, but I have to try..." She stood up determinedly, wiped away her tears, and turned to walk away. "I'm going to try, George. For you, for me, but most of all, for him."

"Hermione!" he all but shouted, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away. "There's nothing you can do! Where are you going?"

She shook her head and wrenched her arm out of his grip, then squeezed his shoulder. "It's best if you don't know. Just hope I'm successful." She kissed the top of his head, and strode away before any of the other Weasleys could stop her.

-oOo-

Once she reached the Entrance Hall, she broke into a run, bolting up staircases and skidding around corners, until she finally reached the Headmaster's office. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the gargoyle had already stepped aside; she wouldn't have to start guessing the password. She ran up the spiraling staircase, and skidded to a halt as she reached the top. Looking around the office, she panicked, realizing how much time it would potentially take to search the office for an object so small. But then, in a stroke of genius, she pulled out her wand. "Accio Time-Turner!"

She nearly wept as one came zooming into her hands. She knew Professor McGonagall had returned the one she used in third year to the ministry, but with all the contraptions leftover from when Dumbledore occupied this office, she had figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try and see if there was one hidden away in here. She steeled her nerves and grasped the Time-Turner between her fingers. "I love you, Fred. I hope I can save you..." she whispered, kissing the cool metal for luck, and turned the small charm one and a half times.

-oOo-

With a jolt, the world suddenly stopped spinning, and the sounds of battle rose up in her ears. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes, breathed in deeply through her nose, and clenched her fists at her side. She reached up and tucked the Time-Turner into her robes, just in case, and strode out of the Headmaster's office determinedly. As soon as she reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, she froze in place, realizing a really important oversight.

She had no idea where or when he was felled.

She shook her head and her arms, shaking out her nerves, and decided she had to just try and find him before it was too late. To her complete and utter luck, she was bumped in the shoulder as a ginger blur raced past.

"Hermione!" Percy shouted, gripping her shoulders to keep her from falling down. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, just as she was grabbed by the wrist and yanked past Percy.

"Mione..." Fred whispered. He threw his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. "I'm so glad I found you before it got too crazy. I needed to tell you I loved you one last time, just in case..."

Hermione's eyes misted over at that statement, hurt by how terribly appropriate that need was. _'No,'_ she thought to herself. _'It will NOT have been necessary, if I have anything to say about it.'_ She hugged him back fiercely, and pulled away to look him in the eyes, wrapping his hands in hers. "I love you too, Fred, but there's no need to worry. I won't leave your side tonight."

He squeezed her hands, and kissed her hard. "Thank Merlin."

She pulled away, looking in his eyes for one last moment, before turning towards Percy and pulling her love along behind her. "Lead the way, Percy, we've got Death Eaters to battle."

The three ended up guarding a secret passageway in a well-frequented corridor, and were quickly engaged in combat with their enemies. Percy shot a spell at his opponent that unmasked him, revealing none other than Pius Thicknesse. "Hello Minister, did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" Fred called out, laughing at his brother's sudden wit in the midst of chaos. Hermione got an ominous feeling all of a sudden, and a chill zipped up her spine. She knew, in her gut, that this had to be _the_ moment, and threw up the most powerful shield charm around the three of them that she could conjure right as Fred spoke his next words. "I don't think I've heard you joke since-"

BOOM

A huge blast shook the corridor, and the wall behind Fred collapsed onto the floor around them, avoiding the trio due to the strength of Hermione's shield. She swore loudly as she noticed that the majority of the rubble fell inches short of the love of her life, and silently thanked any deity that happened to be listening that she followed her instincts.

Realizing that his little brother – his _favourite_ brother – was nearly taken out, Percy turned towards his attacker with the most rage Hermione had ever seen on a Weasley's face in the seven years she'd known the family. "ROOKWOOD!" he bellowed, and Hermione quickly dropped the shield as Percy ran after the retreating Death Eater. Fred went to chase after him, but Hermione pulled him back.

"No, Fred, let him handle this one. He needs this; Rookwood doesn't stand a chance now. Let him face his emotions."

He looked at her quizzically, and then she saw comprehension dawn on his face as his eyes took in the scope of the area surrounding them. "You just saved my life," he said softly, his face deathly pale. When she only nodded, he kissed her forehead with a whispered, "thank you," and pulled back to regain his composure. She just reached up and fingered the charm around her neck through her clothes, not responding.

Together, they ran back into the battle, determined to stay by each others side until the end.

-oOo-

When Voldemort announced the cease-fire, Fred grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her off to the Great Hall to find his family. Upon seeing the two of them, George ran over and engulfed his twin in a hug. "Freddy..." he cried. He pulled back and visually inspected his brother from head to toe, only letting him out of his grip once he was satisfied Fred had not been harmed.

Turning towards Hermione, he spotted a girl that looked suspiciously like her disappear from over her shoulder. "Hermione...weren't you with Ron? What happened?"

Before she could respond, Fred interjected. "She found me, and saved my life. I was lucky Percy nearly knocked her over, otherwise we may not have noticed each other, and then I wouldn't be standing here talking to you..."

George looked back at Hermione with wide eyes and noticed her fingers clutching a small charm resting beneath the collar of her shirt. Suspicious, he threw his arms around her and hugged her with a strength only to rival a hug from his mother. He reached up to her neck as he held her, and pulled lightly on the chain to look at what it held. His eyes got impossibly wider when he realized what it was, and what its presence meant, and he buried his face in her shoulder as he tucked it back into her shirt, shedding a few tears. "Thank you, Hermione. I don't know where you got it, or how you managed to pull that off, but I honestly don't care. You've given me the greatest gift of my life, and I don't know if I can ever properly convey my gratitude. Thank you, for giving me my brother back. I will not forget this."

Her legendary composure finally cracked with the weight of what she'd just experienced and managed to rectify, and she began to weep into his shoulder. "George, I just...I couldn't...not seeing you like that, or your family...not him...I couldn't live with that," she whispered, her voice raspy with tears. "I was prepared to give my life to protect him tonight; I- I couldn't let you live without him. _I _couldn't live without him. Oh Merlin, George...it was so scary."

He just hugged her tighter, and pressed his lips into the juncture of her neck in an intimately familial manner. She knew he meant nothing romantic by it, but she understood him all the same. She had, essentially, saved his own life as well tonight, in saving that of his twin's.

"Oi, Georgie, you think I could have my girlfriend back anytime in the next decade? I need to talk to her about something," Fred called to them, breaking up their moment.

George laughed wetly and pulled back, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He looked at Hermione's face one last time, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. He leaned his forehead against hers and pressed a chaste, brotherly kiss on her lips before gently pushing her back towards his brother. "Oi! What was that, Gred? You kissed my girl!"

"Oh Fred," she chuckled, shaking her head. "You have nothing to worry about. It was a simple gesture of thanks. George is, for all intents and purposes, my brother."

Fred smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from his family. As they walked off, George turned to his mother and smiled. "Mum," he said, grabbing her attention. "Watch Fred and Hermione for a minute, yeah?" She nodded, unsure of why he asked, but looked on regardless. He went to stand behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder, watching his brother fondly.

Fred interlaced his fingers with Hermione's as they walked. "Your brother, eh? About that...would you like him to really be that?"

She looked at him, confused, having forgotten her discussion with George prior to acquiring the Time-Turner.

He squeezed her hand, took a deep breath, and looked her firmly in the eyes as he slowly lowered himself down to one knee, ignoring her gasp. "Hermione Granger, I want you to be my family. It's as simple as that. I want to wake up beside you every morning, fall asleep with you in my arms each night, and spend every possible moment in between showing you how much I love you and need you in my life. I want to build a home with you, see you grow round with my children, and raise our family within a house as warm and cozy and loving as the one my parents built for themselves. I want to grow old with you; tease you as your hair starts to grey, fix it for you by slipping purple dye into your shampoo, and teach our children only the best pranks that I know will drive you up a wall. I want to stand behind you as you champion for the rights of beings deemed lesser by society, and spend all my free weekends building bookshelves to house your ever-growing library. I want to be by your side as we watch our children grow up into good people in the peaceful world that we secured for them, and eventually complain with you that we're simply too young to be grandparents. I want all these things, Hermione, but I only want them if they're with you. So what do you say? Will you marry me and make me the happiest Weasley of the lot?"

At this point, Hermione was bawling. In the last two hours, she had gone from losing her beloved in the most tragic way, to standing here beside him as he knelt on the floor, declaring his undying love for her and his desire to make her his wife. It was, quite frankly, completely overwhelming, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to find her voice to answer him. So she did the only thing she could – she dropped to her knees and threw herself at him, kissing him as hard as she could. She wove her fingers into his soft, ginger hair to hold his head as close to hers as possible, and whispered her acceptance of his proposal over and over into his neck as he pulled away from the kiss and swept her up in a fierce hug. He leaned back from her and beamed, then let go with one arm to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a small black box, and opened it slowly in front of her. She gasped, finally getting a proper look at the beautiful ring inside, and then held her hand out as he slipped it onto her finger.

Their tender moment was broken when they heard whistles and catcalls, followed by clapping, coming from the direction of his family. George was beaming, standing behind his mother with his arms wrapped around her collar, his chin resting on her shoulder. Her hands were gripping his forearms, and her eyes were shining with joy as the tears streaked down her face. The rest of the Weasleys stood around them, looking disheveled but proud, and immensely joyful – Percy most of all, realizing that had this happened a day sooner, he wouldn't have been able to witness or celebrate it. All eyes suddenly went to Ron as he started to step forward, his expression unreadable. He finally reached the couple, and there was noticeable apprehension on their faces as he withdrew one of his hands from his pocket. He extended it toward his brother, and in a move that completely surprised everyone, pulled him up and into a hug. Patting his back, he only said, "Take care of her, brother, I'm counting on you." Molly burst into tears again, proud of her youngest son for showing so much emotional maturity.

The tension broken, Ginny flew towards Hermione and threw her arms around her. "We're finally going to be sisters!" she exclaimed. Hermione just laughed wetly, and hugged her back.

As Hermione and Fred were received by the rest of the Weasley family, she locked eyes with George again and an unspoken agreement passed between them. The would not tell anyone else about her reckless act, regardless of the fact that she had been successful. If their family was this happy not knowing, then they didn't _need_ to. Not for many, many years, at least.

As their hour reprieve drew to a close, and Hermione, Fred, and George re-entered the fray together, they went hand-in-hand, knowing that they stood strongest together, and, by each others sides, nothing could defeat them.

They had never been more right.

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><p>Posted: 1 April 2012<br>Word Count: 3,446


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